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Arcania Tales - The Beginning
(as I have now officially returned to this wiki after a great length of absence I have finally created a series, however I have decided to utilize a few minor changes - setting this series largely in Arcania, an alternate Earth in which animals take the place of humans in a medieval fantasy setting.. as such it will largely have its own canon, crossing over with the "main" multiverse only when and if necessary) Prologue It was a deceptively beautiful day when a young field-mouse dressed in the style of a medieval peasant entered the impressive halls of the great palace that acted as the main focus of Greenwood's main city, heading towards a large door as several soldiers opened the door, allowing the mouse access to the throne room. The mouse entered and looked over to the image of a great and powerful figure sitting upon a golden throne, an older mouse by species and sporting dark grey fur with a small scar across his face caused by battle: yet the regal rodent afforded a warm smile as the other mouse approached and knelt upon one knee in a sign of respect, bowing his head. "Please, do not bow before me.. I may be your King but I am also your fellow mouse.. you need not.." the king began. "Forgive me Sire but I must.. the Great Eye is almost complete.. I have been to the Great Tree and spoken with Lady Silvius as you requested.. she has spoken of its power - she will do all she can but Woodland can not risk war with Rodentia.." the messenger warned. "..I see.. thank you.. your act may well of saved us all from Nezerth's madness.." the king said, his smile fading as he made a small motion - the messenger leaving the room as the doors opened and closed after them. "..Sir Regent, go to the village - gather as many able-bodied men as you can.. I have a plan.." the king proclaimed after a moment of silence, a tall mouse nodding slightly. "Sire?" Sir Regent began. "..I shall tell you more when the time is right.. for now.. go forth.." the king explained. "Of course.." Sir Regent said, heading out of the throne room as the king returned to his thoughts, placing his hands over his snout as he stared out and pinned his ears back slightly. "..you may be a god Nezerth but I shall defeat you.. for you can never have the power my people possess.. the power to dream of something better.. and the will to fight for it.." ''he thought silently, a small smile returning to his muzzle. Chapter 1 The story soon shifts to a small marketplace in the centre of Greenwood's main city - populated by many different species who gather around different stands, which sell everything ranging from fruits and vegetables to small trinkets and clothing. Although the marketplace is primitive compared to the modern age it is reasonably clean and well-cared for, it is obvious many of the citizens take deep pride in their city and many also show signs of strong community spirit as they chatter amongst themselves, many smiling and joking as children chase each other and play fight using small twigs. Amongst the crowds a teenage rat sneaks around, looking around as he waits for an opportunity and acts quickly, snatching a small fruit from a stand and pocketing it for himself as the trader is distracted, flicking his tail as he moves along the marketplace, going from stand to stand and doing similar: he does however ignore the trinkets and clothing, primarily focused on food. A young field-mouse with light brown fur stands in the marketplace, looking over a few stands selling trinkets, he is quite short even for a mouse and is dressed in a leather jacket and trousers with his tail, hands and feet left bare. He is suddenly pushed aside as a she-wolf barrels through the crowd, knocking over several stalls, baskets, and civilians alike as she darts, ignoring the angry shouts and curses she recieved. "Excuse me, pardon me, coming through, sorry- watch your tail, buddy!" The mouse squeaks and tumbles, falling onto his rear before he gets up, flicking his tail and giving the she-wolf a glare that could melt solid steel in its intensity - ears pinned back.. he doesn't say anything but looks tempted to do so. The rat observed the she-wolf as he pocketed another small fruit, only to stop as the crowds began to part and the sound of royal trumpets blared - a creature resembling a gigantic frog with armor not unlike those seen on medieval warhorses moving along as a tall mouse dressed in armor looked around, two other riders flanked his side riding small bipedal raptors, the flag of King Greypaw being held by one of them to show rank. "Citizens of Greenwood! I have been called by King Greypaw to bring forth all able-bodied men to come to the palace at once.. gather forth and represent your people!" the tall mouse declares, a small crowd already gathering. "Able-bodied?" asked the she-wolf, popping up suddenly in front of the tall mouse. "Where can I sign up? I'm plenty able-bodied... or do I need those knobbly bits between the legs to sign up? Wait- are we even getting paid for this? What are we even signing up for?" The tall mouse glares at the she-wolf "..you are to report to the palace as instructed, the King has ordered your service - your payment is knowing you have served the one who made your freedom possible - as for what threat you shall face.. the King shall inform you all personally of the matter at hand". The she-wolf yawned, and stretched her arms. "Right, right, of course... King's orders... wonder what it's like to be the king?" She suddenly stood up tall and erect, placing her hands on her hips and frowning sternly in a mock-impression of royalty. "I am the King," she said, in the deepest voice she could muster, "and I order you common rabble- those of you with the knobbly bits, of course- to fight in my nonspecific crusade without pay!" The she-wolf's display is received with looks of anger and disgust by many, the tall mouse frowning - "..you would do well to pay respect to the King who saved this world from the god of destruction - without whom you would be nothing but a snivelling slave and that tongue of yours likely ripped from your jaws.. you should be glad you exist in a realm where you are so free to mock the very men who laid down their lives to protect your forefathers..". The mouse that the she-wolf had knocked over previously goes over and speaks up, addressing her "..you do know that the King fought alongside Lady Silvius to banish Nezerth and save the Great Tree? my father spoke to me of those battles.. if you seek to aid then perhaps you should do as they ask rather than embarass yourself in front of the entire realm..". The rat smirked a little at the scene, not seeming to be offended as he began to back way - ready to take advantage and sneak away with his stolen fruit: yet his smirk faded quickly as he looked up at the sky and cried out. "LOOK!" Sure enough an unnatural black cloud spread over the sky, it took a moment but the buzzing confirmed many people's fears, biting flies swarmed the area as the tall mouse and his guards rode towards the palace: "Quickly! all who wish to aid come to the palace, the rest of you - get to your homes! now!" the tall mouse yelled out as mothers grabbed their children and the market went into chaos, several following the tall mouse to the palace in a hurry as the cloud of flies continued to spread. "Mayday! MAYDAY!" shouted the she-wolf uselessly, as she darted through the crowds, faster than most, in the direction of the palace. The leather-clad mouse followed the crowd towards the palace. The palace gates opened as guards ushered the crowds in, the large entrance opening as Sir Regent stopped and dismounted, rushing inside alongside the others - from a balcony above King Greypaw emerged, looking to the cloud of flies that swept over the marketplace and frowning: a large sword held by his side as his ears pinned down. Then with remarkable swiftness the cloud of flies swept up into the sky like a whirlwind, disappearing from sight as the flies seemed to be sucked into oblivion - the market below left in confusion and fear. "..what a tyrant can not rule he ultimately seeks to destroy.." King Greypaw thought to himself, watching as the last of the crowds entered the palace "..yet hope finds away..". Chapter 2 The she-wolf glance around in awe. "Wow, this place is huge! It's bigger than I thought it'd be..." She put her hands to her muzzle and called out, listening to the reverberation of her voice: "Echo! Echo!" "How distressing, we ask for able-bodied heroes and instead we are presented with half-witted jesters.." a female voice notes from the shadows, revealing itself to come from a weasel dressed in a blue dress with purple jewels. "Oh? Can you do better than this jester, Duchess von Snooty?" challenged the she-wolf. "''Will you start taking things seriously already?" the leather-clad mouse snaps at the she-wolf under his breath, looking at the weasel as she entered. The weasel looks to the she-wolf and extends a hand, as she does so a glowing crystal manifests out of thin air and radiates with energy "..I can silence that tongue of yours with or without the use of my magic, mongrel..". The rat from the market watches this and steps forward, "don't call her that.." - he finally speaks, then seems surprised with himself - not usually one to help others. The weasel snorts, keeping the crystal outstretched - the others in the room rather disturbed by all this, "..I call what I see, gutter-spawn..". "Oh, are we doing magic tricks now?" asked the she-wolf. "I can do them too!" Waving her paws, she summoned a dark energy, which engulfed her arms like black flame. "See? Pretty cool, right?" "Both of you stop this at once - if the King sees this he will..!" the tall mouse declared, moving between the she-wolf and the weasel with a look of authority, a few guards moving in. "Enough.. has our city not suffered enough at the hands of magic today? put aside your petty differences for just one moment and think on what is truly important - the survival of our very species.." a voice speaks out, causing the tall mouse to look around as King Greypaw entered the room, everyone going deadly quiet. The weasel looked to the approaching king and growled a little, yet said nothing as she sulked to one side. The she-wolf backed away as well with a look of disappointment much like a child denied enjoyment. The black flame around her arms dissipated as she folded them. "Sire, I tried to -" the tall mouse began, only to go silent as King Greypaw raised a hand and sighed, stepping forward and putting his sword in front of himself, leaning against it as he spoke: "Nezerth has almost completed the Great Eye - should this occur he shall be able to cast far worse sorcery than what you saw in the market today.. that is why I had Sir Regent seek you out.. for you will all come with me to Rodentia's borders and destroy this accursed tower once and for all..". The halls suddenly filled with gossip, the upper-classes shocked to hear their king was so eager to leave his throne and even Sir Regent looked surprised as he dared to question: "Sire? are you sure this is wise? the kingdom will need you to rule..". However he was once again cut short as King Greypaw remarked: "It is a poor King who would send his people out and sit in comfort, no - all who follow me will do so in more than just words.. I shall walk with them to the gates of Rodentia.. I shall leave my kingdom in your hands until my return, Sir Regent.. for you have been my most trusted friend..". The field-mouse simply looks around, somewhat awkwardly, as the King speaks he folds his ears a little - yet keeps silent. "A march onto the most dangerous country in Arcana with our beloved King leading the ranks? Sounds like fun- sign me up," said the she-wolf, breaking the silence among the crowds. She cracked her knuckles. Sir Regent looked confused yet resigns himself to a silent nod, bowing before King Greypaw - who gave a small smile then motioned to a few guards and soon the palace gates opened up and a great sight befell all in the castle as a great portal opened and several great mounts emerged - resembling small Chinese dragons covered in ornate armor seeming to be made out of wood, leaves and other organic matter. "A gift from Lady Silvius.. now let us make haste.." King Greypaw explained briefly, moving towards one of the mounts as others followed - there were enough mounts for everyone present with a few to spare.. clearly Silvius had spared little in her "gift" and as the portal stayed open it was clear why she was considered one of Arcania's greatest sorcerers. "Woah.." the field-mouse stated, looking at the dragons - carefully climbing onto one as he looked around "..who'd of thought we'd be dragon-riders?". "This is cool!" said the she-wolf, leaping and clambering up the hide of the field-mouse's dragon. "These royals definitely know how to throw a party, right? My name's Zenith, by the way." She sat down and extended a paw to the field-mouse to shake. "I'm Gareth.." the mouse replies, taking Zenith's paw and shaking it before he looks to the horizon with a grim look, one a soldier gets before they head to war - "..you should be more stop with the games.. we're going to Rodentia.. we could die..". "If we're going to die, I'd rather die with a smile," said Zenith. "You may get your wish.." the rat states as he mounts a nearby dragon, then without bothering to introduce himself he takes flight as King Greypaw and the others spread out towards the horizon. As they did so Sir Regent sighed a little and whispered "..I hope you know what you're doing, Sire". Chapter 3 At the same time a cloaked rat ascended a large tower, still in the process of being built, followed by two misshappen mice - their fur rotten and matted, painful boils covering their exposed flesh and the stench of death and decay dominating the air. The cloaked rat came to a stop and looked out at the land below, a city of ruins lay before him and the sky above was clouded in perpetual storm - holding out a skeletal hand to one of his followers he spoke with a snarl: "..the spyglass..". One of the mice gave the cloaked rat the spyglass and the object began to form a layer of thick dirt simply by being touched by the cloaked rat - who put it to his face and looked over to the horizon, seeing the images of several dragons in the distance, amplified by ancient magic that allowed him to see impossibly far. "..so you've finally developed a spine, Greypaw? leading your people to their justly deserved graves?" the cloaked figure snarled, affording himself a horrific smile that dripped with pestilent venom as he noticed the group were heading into Woodland. The cloaked rat proceeded to give the spyglass back to his follower and turned, his eyes glowing brightly as he once again addressed his followers: "..I shall require my Plague Rider..". ______________________________ Gareth looked over the landscape below as he rode atop the dragon, thinking aloud "..you know my father used to tell me stories about Rodentia and how good men laid down their lives in defence of the world.. my mother made him stop, said they were filling my head with nonsense.. she wanted me to have a peaceful life.. I can't help wondering how she'd feel now..". "Judging from your story, I think the obvious answer is disappointment," said Zenith. "Though whether or not hordes of men dressed in fifty pounds of metal are killing each other at the moment, there are still divisions among even the common folk; turmoil brews in the underbelly of our cities as many fight their own battles to survive everyday...there will never be any true peace." Gareth growls slightly, "..you know something Zenith, you hold so little faith in this world - good men sacrificed their lives so you could belittle them.. my father was a knight, he died protecting our lives.. as for there never being any peace - ever stopped to think that peace has no hope of even beginning if people like you are so quick to toss it aside over petty superiority? you have made yourself a soldier today, I suggest you put aside whatever delusional sense of injustice you have and wake up..". "You shouldn't be so quick to judge-" began Zenith, malice sparking briefly in her eyes, before they were interrupted: "Both of you stop arguing before you get us all killed.. she doesn't need to accept your rules.. he doesn't need to hear your speech on the "wrongs of war".. both of you are acting like children so focus on the real enemy here.. Nezerth, the Butcher of the Cornfields.. or did you both forget we are facing a mouse who ate his own kind for sheer pleasure?" the rat finally speaks out, having been flying nearby - having to raise his voice to be heard yet the others don't seem to take much interest in the squabbling. "Party pooper," grumbled Zenith. Amidst the argument the group may notice they are heading towards an impossibly large tree, even taller than the mountains - easily dwarving every other thing in Woodland, there was no mistaking that they were about to make their way to the legendary Great Tree itself, anchor of Arcania and one of the most sacred sites in the known world. "If I knew I was coming here today, I'd have put on something a lot nicer," said Zenith. "Does anybody have a formal cloak, or something?" The group soon land atop the Great Tree, an entire palace having been carved into the upper-portion of the gigantic structure - standing in silence was a fairly tall humanoid owl with brilliant white feathers and a flowing robe of green, a great staff blossoming with wildflowers held in one hand. King Greypaw was the first to dismount, heading towards the owl he goes down into a kneeling position - an almost unheard of occurance for a monarch, yet the owl smiles faintly and holds out her spare hand, which the King takes "..my Lady, we are truly blessed.. how long has it been?". "Long enough, Greypaw.. yet I fear we don't have much time" Lady Silvius replied, the King standing back up as the others began to dismount. "Everything here looks so...sacred," remarked Zenith. "It's way too clean and... nature-y." Category:Storyarcs Category:Fantasy Category:Alternate Timeline Category:Anthro Category:Nezerth